This is why you wear close-toed shoes when you’re wet wading…
Zach Reynolds was fishing in a kayak bass tournament and cooling his toes off the side of his kayak when he felt something hit his left foot. Initially, he didn’t feel anything while fighting in a bass about 30 yds off the bank but out of curiosity he lifted his foot. It was covered in blood and bleeding profusely.
“Oh my gosh. A muskie just bit my foot!” Zach thought to himself.
Zach’s buddy was fishing nearby when he heard his friend yell upon discovering his freshly flayed foot.
This muskie encounter was a first in Missouri waters, and bites like these are exceedingly rare. Typically, most muskie and pike bites/cuts happen while anglers are removing hooks prior to release.
Incidences like these are exactly why you should always carry a waterproof first aid kit with a fast-acting, blood-clotting agent when your sights are set on aggressive, toothy predators. Pike and Muskie’s teeth are razor-sharp, and it doesn’t take much for an Esox to flay your skin while you’re attempting a release.
Read more about the biting encounter, here from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch!
Featured image and video from Engbretson Underwater Photography Youtube Channel.Â
Dont overlook the attacker could have been a beaver. Beavers are quite territorial and will bite to drive off intruders.